We engage with music for countless purposes: entertainment, rebellion, protest, socialization, deliberate listening, etc. Perhaps the most popular purpose is engaging with music as a manner of self expression. Whether as music makers or music consumers, we rely on music as an outlet for communicating our thoughts, opinions, frustrations, joys, and sorrows; more than just emotions though, we use music as an outlet for expressing our identities. In this ethnography, I will examine how various aspects of identity affect an individual's music-making practices.
An individual's overall identity is composed of numerous component identities. For example, I identify as female, heterosexual, Chinese, non-religious, only child, friend, student, and American. However, each of these identities possesses a different degree of salience. In fact, the order in which I just listed each of my identities could be a reflection of their positions in the hierarchy of salience. One identity might be more salient because of how I relate to it, how I behave according to the standards and expectations of it, how much it affects my daily life, or how it influences my response to situations. Situation and context also greatly influence the salience of certain identities. For example, although I may not contemplate my identity as a female on a day to day basis, it may become more salient if I were to be in a room full of men.
In the same way, the context of music-making may affect which aspects of an individual's identity he or she regards as most salient. On the flip side, the salience of identities may also affect how they do or do not show up in music. By making original music, individuals are able to present themselves to others in a manner that they have complete control over and can perfect. Thus, which aspects of identity do music-makers intend to reveal in their music? What do they want their music to speak to, to say about them? And how much meaning is attached to this music? Is it about pure self expression, or an expression of our values and beliefs? Or, is it about reaching those with whom we share our identities? And how do the various components of an individual's overall identity influence his or her perception of the purpose of music?
For this ethnographic documentary, I hope to interview 3 self-identified members of the music-making community as Emory. They all share the common identities of Emory student and music-maker. I hope to represent 3 different races as well as 3 different genres of music in this documentary, in order to more closely examine how this aspect of identity affects music-making.
An individual's overall identity is composed of numerous component identities. For example, I identify as female, heterosexual, Chinese, non-religious, only child, friend, student, and American. However, each of these identities possesses a different degree of salience. In fact, the order in which I just listed each of my identities could be a reflection of their positions in the hierarchy of salience. One identity might be more salient because of how I relate to it, how I behave according to the standards and expectations of it, how much it affects my daily life, or how it influences my response to situations. Situation and context also greatly influence the salience of certain identities. For example, although I may not contemplate my identity as a female on a day to day basis, it may become more salient if I were to be in a room full of men.
In the same way, the context of music-making may affect which aspects of an individual's identity he or she regards as most salient. On the flip side, the salience of identities may also affect how they do or do not show up in music. By making original music, individuals are able to present themselves to others in a manner that they have complete control over and can perfect. Thus, which aspects of identity do music-makers intend to reveal in their music? What do they want their music to speak to, to say about them? And how much meaning is attached to this music? Is it about pure self expression, or an expression of our values and beliefs? Or, is it about reaching those with whom we share our identities? And how do the various components of an individual's overall identity influence his or her perception of the purpose of music?
For this ethnographic documentary, I hope to interview 3 self-identified members of the music-making community as Emory. They all share the common identities of Emory student and music-maker. I hope to represent 3 different races as well as 3 different genres of music in this documentary, in order to more closely examine how this aspect of identity affects music-making.